Jan 09, 2015

Inspiring Words from MINI Champs Past and Present.

Take it from the guys who go the extra mile to top the podium. Whatever your trade, listen to the inspiring things that MINI adrenaline junkies past and present have to say about getting ahead, pushing your limits and leaving the competition in the dust.

1. “You didn’t hang around. You drive as fast as you can to build up some time in case you meet something uncertain.”- Paddy Hopkirk: Winner of the 1964 Monte Carlo Rally

2. “I expect to and I work to win. That’s the goal for the team and for me, to win. There are a lot of places where you can lose a lot of time by making just one mistake. You always have to be concentrated. But you always work to win. You are always hungry for more.”- Nani Roma: Winner of the 2014 Dakar Rally

3. "Character and ambition are said to be formed by environment and by some hereditary process of which I know nothing. I can only say that from the age of nine years when my father was mechanic to 'Kaye Don' until the present day my whole interest has been centred around racing cars and their intestines."- John Cooper: Racer, engineer and namesake for the MINI John Cooper Works performance engines

4. “Three seconds in the air is not a long time, but it feels like slow motion, everything passing by very slowly. I have to be very precise with everything I am doing in and with the car. Before the stunt it is somehow stressing, but that's what I need to be 100% focused on my stunts. In a sense you can say I am addicted to that feeling. No risk, no fun.”- Guerlain Chicherit: Stunt & Rally Driver, Guinness World Record holder

5. “There is really only one piece of advice that we can give to anyone who is preparing to try some competition driving. It is: Speed matters, and the longer your foot is on the brake the less it is on the accelerator.”- Pat Moss: Driver for the first overall rally win for MINI in 1962

6. “For sure when you’re in a competition, you try to be the best. From time to time, you take a risk. But one thing is always the same. You need to work hard. My passion is racing. There is a good reason for the saying that ‘runner-up is the first loser'.”- Stepháne: Winner of the 2012 and 2013 Dakar Rally